The etymological meaning of the word ‘guru’ is heavy. So there is some personality sitting on the vyasasana and he is a heavy dude:
‘Okay guys, get your act together! With all this sense gratification, you are just attached to material things! When are you going to get serious in Krishna Consciousness?’
Is that the meaning of a guru being heavy? Sometimes, maybe but not necessarily. The meaning of guru being heavy – is that the guru is so ultimately heavy that you cannot move him from his position, since he stays fixed at the Lotus Feet of Krishna and that’s why he’s so heavy! I mean all others are light…so light that sometimes just shake him on the path, or sometimes a little push like a boat which has been put out of its course by the wind.
But the spiritual master is heavy and he is there at the Feet of Krishna – as time goes by he hasn’t changed, since he’s still there: still serving Krishna; still talking about Krishna; still chanting Hare Krishna and so many things have happened:
‘I mean, oh Lord I didn’t see you for a long time. So many things have happened!’
‘And in the cause of that, what about Krishna?’
‘Yeah I’m still into that but things have changed a bit.’
But for the spiritual master nothing has changed, completely nothing! Just the same and that is a great relief to know that there is someone who is still just doing it! Or there is someone who is still a devotee, and is still chanting Hare Krishna; someone who just didn’t change and that we find shelter at his lotus feet. It’s not about:
‘Is he the greatest intellectual on the planet? He can quote more verses than anybody else!’– maybe not.
‘Can he explain the most complicated philosophy? Does he know the most stories?’
‘My guru is senior to your guru, because he was a very close associate of Prabhupada, whilst your guru had joined much later!’
‘No, but my guru had spent longer in Vrindavan and that is why he is more rasic than your guru.’
‘My guru is an eternal associate of Lord Caitanya, Prabhupada said!’
‘Well you know, my guru knows the entire Bhagavad-Gita by heart!’
Okay that is very nice I guess with this one it speaks for itself – this is kindergarten, and that’s all I will say about this. We are not taking these things too seriously. So it’s not the external:
‘My guru is skinny.’
‘Well mine is fat.’
It doesn’t matter since it is mentioned that, one should not judge the spiritual master by his external appearance. One should see that he is firmly fixed onto the Lotus Feet of Krishna, and therefore by connecting with him, then we will also be fixed, because he is always there. Anytime we connect to him then we are also automatically connecting to the Lotus Feet of Krishna! We are connecting to the spiritual master and before you know it okay then you are going to be doing something for Krishna! It is like that because all his activities are connected to Krishna. He’s joking and he is laughing with you and just playing around but before you know it (with all the playing and the joking) you are doing service for Krishna and that’s what’s happening, because he is on the way to Krishna!
- HH Kadamba Kanana Swami
‘Okay guys, get your act together! With all this sense gratification, you are just attached to material things! When are you going to get serious in Krishna Consciousness?’
Is that the meaning of a guru being heavy? Sometimes, maybe but not necessarily. The meaning of guru being heavy – is that the guru is so ultimately heavy that you cannot move him from his position, since he stays fixed at the Lotus Feet of Krishna and that’s why he’s so heavy! I mean all others are light…so light that sometimes just shake him on the path, or sometimes a little push like a boat which has been put out of its course by the wind.
But the spiritual master is heavy and he is there at the Feet of Krishna – as time goes by he hasn’t changed, since he’s still there: still serving Krishna; still talking about Krishna; still chanting Hare Krishna and so many things have happened:
‘I mean, oh Lord I didn’t see you for a long time. So many things have happened!’
‘And in the cause of that, what about Krishna?’
‘Yeah I’m still into that but things have changed a bit.’
But for the spiritual master nothing has changed, completely nothing! Just the same and that is a great relief to know that there is someone who is still just doing it! Or there is someone who is still a devotee, and is still chanting Hare Krishna; someone who just didn’t change and that we find shelter at his lotus feet. It’s not about:
‘Is he the greatest intellectual on the planet? He can quote more verses than anybody else!’– maybe not.
‘Can he explain the most complicated philosophy? Does he know the most stories?’
‘My guru is senior to your guru, because he was a very close associate of Prabhupada, whilst your guru had joined much later!’
‘No, but my guru had spent longer in Vrindavan and that is why he is more rasic than your guru.’
‘My guru is an eternal associate of Lord Caitanya, Prabhupada said!’
‘Well you know, my guru knows the entire Bhagavad-Gita by heart!’
Okay that is very nice I guess with this one it speaks for itself – this is kindergarten, and that’s all I will say about this. We are not taking these things too seriously. So it’s not the external:
‘My guru is skinny.’
‘Well mine is fat.’
It doesn’t matter since it is mentioned that, one should not judge the spiritual master by his external appearance. One should see that he is firmly fixed onto the Lotus Feet of Krishna, and therefore by connecting with him, then we will also be fixed, because he is always there. Anytime we connect to him then we are also automatically connecting to the Lotus Feet of Krishna! We are connecting to the spiritual master and before you know it okay then you are going to be doing something for Krishna! It is like that because all his activities are connected to Krishna. He’s joking and he is laughing with you and just playing around but before you know it (with all the playing and the joking) you are doing service for Krishna and that’s what’s happening, because he is on the way to Krishna!
- HH Kadamba Kanana Swami
No comments:
Post a Comment